Previous owner had a switch fetish

[TT_Vert]

Or the guy worked for Lutron. He had switches everywhere, multiple threeways, in fact there are 6 threeways in the garage!! With that said he was for some reason switching the outside light sensing lights in three different locations (Different lights) which I want to do away with. I want those lights on always when the photocell warrants it. That part is easy. I do need to retain the other switch so I will need a single opening. My question is with a duplex box what options do I have aside from a blank and a middle single mount duplex plate? Below I've listed my thoughts in order from easiest to hardest, please let me know what you think and if you have other thoughts on how to do this.

1. Using a center mount duplex plate or a blank (Less desirable) Not a huge fan of the look of these.
2. Drywall over half of the duplex box utilizing a single wall plate. Ghetto but is that allowed?
2. Opening up the wall and removing the duplex and putting in a single

Thanks much,

Dave

 

[PCustoms]

Yes

No

Yes

 

[tyme2par4]

You can remove the duplex box without opening the wall, and then just add an old work single gang box. You'll still need to patch the drywall, so it won't save you a whole lot.

 

[Skiff Builder]

Remove old without cutting wall. Carlon square duplex box set flush with stud and a single mud ring. No drywall work required.

 

[TT_Vert]

Thanks guys. Skiff, do do you remove the box and lift it over the conduit and then back out the existing hole w/o making the hole any bigger? And even if I don't make the hole any bigger I now have to cosmetically cover the part of the mud ring that the wall plate doesn't cover anyway.

Dave

 

[dscheidt]

What kind of box? If it's a two gang metal box, you can put a single device mudring on it, and drywall over the rest of the opening.

 

[Brian_WK]

You could mount a night light or something in the other hole as well.
That would be the second easiest.

Brian

 

[TT_Vert]

I had thought about that. What i ended up doing is using a single gang mud ring since there is so much wiring in there there is no way I'd be able to get it all into a deep single. I will just do the drywall work. Now I have to figure out what to do w/ other wall plates. He has one 3 outlet one with one which switched the light sensing exterior light and two 2 outlet plates which did the same thing. These are all in the garage and I don't feel like doing any drywall. I already have motion sensing garage door lights so a nightlight wouldn't be of any use. Perhaps I can find something else to put in those

Dave

 

[nh_yota]

Your guy must have been related to the previous owner of my buddy's house in Mass. I swear that guy must have been a retired engineer (not electrician) because there are duplex switches and 3-way/4-way switches everywhere. Even the detached garage has a complicated relay setup so you can switch house lights on from the garage or garage lights on from the house. You can tell the guy was a retired engineer because he made things more complicated than they would have been if he was a retired electrician.

 

[Falcon67]

Might just be that once you get a good 3 way going, you'll likely want to do another.

 

[TT_Vert]

Just don't tell my wife..

 

[rlitman]

You can ALWAYS use more outlets. Or how about a USB charger?

 

[TT_Vert]

You can ALWAYS use more outlets. Or how about a USB charger?

These switches are at the entrance to a door so no need for usb there. THis garage has no less than 20 outlets so that's never going to be an issue. This guy went way overkill on this garage!

Dave

 

[thewatusi]

This guy went way overkill on this garage!

That's kinda the whole mantra of this site.

 

[TT_Vert]

Yeah overkill in a logical but maniacal way is different than putting a switch every 14' and having to do the switch shuffle to figure out how to turn lights on.

Dave

 

[ishiboo]

There's a local bar here (or was, rather) that was owned by electricians. All the lights - and there were many for such a small space - are controlled on a giant switch panel with steel toggle switches behind the bar.

 

[PhantomEB]

Previous owner sounds like me. 12 lights on 6 switches, another for stereo/ceiling fans which is now gonna get a switch box to lock out the fans up high on ceiling, another for outdoor lights. 23 110 plugs, onto my third 220....

Still want something motion sensed above the work bench but also able to use it as over bench light as it will be LED yet able to disable it.

 

[LifeLongWNYer]

When I wire spaces, I like to place a LOT of receptacles and switches. It seems to make like easier, although I could use the exercise of walking to a switch that is farther away.

I figure that it is easier to put them in NOW, and not use them, than to NOT put them in and wish I had, after the drywall and painting is finished.


.

 

[TT_Vert]

The outlets are very helpful. He has probably 30 in this garage which have already come in handy. The light switches? Not so much. I already removed all of the ones he used to switch on/off the exterior lights controlled by photo-electric sensors. In the house every wall had switched outlets. I don't need those so I removed them and used that gang to turn on a ceiling fan instead or a light in other rooms. No idea why people don't like switched overhead lights in this house but I do.

Dave

 

[kamlung]

Might just be that once you get a good 3 way going, you'll likely want to do another.

beat me to it...

 

[86turbodsl]

Do the light switches make sense, like at the entrance to any dark space? i have a lot of light switches in my house, but it ends up making sense as i never have to walk into a dark space and fumble around looking for a switch.

 

[TT_Vert]

Aside from the ones that switch all the exterior light sensing lights off, yes.

 

[yukon65006]

For the switch on the motion lights maybe the prior owner entertained often in the evening or at night. I personally just installed a switch to disable the outside motion light on the garage. There is a group that meets on Monday nights at each others garage and we normally just drink beer, grill or deep fry stuff in the turkey cooker. The motion sensor light while nice every other night was a hindrance on my Monday nights.

 

[TT_Vert]

IM sure he had some rationale. I just figured rather than have 3 and 4 way switches everywhere for lights I'd just let the sensors do their job. The lights are not too bright. I Just have mud rings on them so if i want to go back to one of them I can just throw a 2 gang mud ring back on and re-mud. With all the bugs around here I may do that for the front/back door lights.

Dave